Nozzle mixer assembly

Abstract: A nozzle mixer assembly (24) for filling a container with a homogeneous mixture of viscous fluids includes a housing (28) having an inner passageway (40) extending therethrough defining a longitudinal axis (42) of the housing (28) and an axially rotatable drive shaft (44) supported by the housing (28) and extending through the passageway (40) along the longitudinal axis (42). A folding mechanism includes stationary pins and moving pins mounted tangentially relative to a centrally disposed drive shaft (44) disposed along the longitudinal axis (42) for folding the fluids flowing through the passageway (40) while preventing columns of unmixed fluid from flowing axially along the drive shaft (44).

Description: The present invention relates to a nozzle assembly for filling a container with a homogeneous mixture of viscous fluids. This invention provides a nozzle assembly which can eject a volume of a highly viscous material, such as a sealant, while simultaneously folding into the sealant a highly viscous second fluid, such as a coloring agent, for imparting color to the resultant volume of highly viscous materials. In the manufacture of colored sealants, it is desirable to mix coloring agents with the sealant as close as possible to the point of packaging of the material. This is called "point of packaging" pigmentation. The general idea is to mix pigment into the base sealant at the last possible moment before filling a package, such as a cartridge, tube, drum or other container. In these processes, clean-up is limited to the pigment mixing process at the end of the production line. Currently, processes for coloring sealants involve frequent changeovers from color to color. First, the base sealant is compounded using known technology, catalyzed and packaged in cartridges, drums or bulk containers. The containers are then moved to a separate color production process area for pigmentation. Many different color pigments are needed to make the variety of colors and shades required by the market place. Matching a specific desired color can require sophisticated blending of a number of pigments. Typically, production personnel load the base sealant into a large mixer and meter the necessary coloring agent into the mixer to produce a desired colored sealant. The ingredients are mixed for a given time and checked for a good color match using standard colorimetry technology. The addition of pigment is also limited because the pigment can cause degradation of the physical properties of the resultant sealant. When the color of the sealant is determined to be correct, the sealant is moved to a proportionating machine where the sealant is dosed into cartridges, drums or bulk containers through the use of a one-part volumetric dosing system. When the packaging is completed, the mixer blade, mixer, proportionating machine and dosing system must all be cleaned before the next run. Approximately 10% of any given batch is lost in this cleaning process. The above-mentioned systems generally include an injection nozzle. As material is pumped through the injection nozzle, a volume of material is formed within the nozzle which over time passes through the nozzle and exits to fill containers. Nozzles have been developed in the urethane foam dispensing art which utilize a mixing shaft operatively disposed within the nozzle for producing mixing during an injection process. These shafts can include projections extending radially outwardly therefrom and appearing to be disposed in a cross-wise fashion extending from the center shaft when viewed in cross-section. Examples of machines incorporating such nozzles are low-pressure, two-component foam processing machines and nozzles manufactured by Edge-Sweets of Grand Rapids, Michigan. When adapting such mixing nozzles to pigmenting sealants, the high viscosity of the sealant as well as the high viscosity of the pigments create considerable mixing problems. What is required in the art is the mixing of a pigment, which is also highly viscous fluid, into a homogeneous mixture with a highly viscous material, such as a volume of sealant. We have found that using urethane foam dispensing nozzles with mixing shafts therein results in inadequate mixing of highly viscous materials when applied to sealants. This is caused by adhesion of the highly viscous sealant to the mixing shaft as it passes therethrough and to the cross-wise pins extending therefrom which can define undisturbed columns of material that travel along the shaft without being folded into the pigment and vice versa. Further, such machines, if sped up, produce shearing which increases temperature of the material. Increased temperatures are to be avoided as the increased temperatures can cause curing and other chemical modifications or degradation of the sealant material. For highly viscous materials, a distributive folding-type mixing is desired which maintains a low temperature of the materials while thoroughly mixing the two materials together. This benefit is provided by the claimed invention. CH-A-674 959 describes an apparatus for mixing stiff materials such as high consistency rubber in a batch type operation. EP-A-0 132 169 describes a process and apparatus for mixing two or more components, which are mixed first in a mixer operating on the basis of a static mixing principle, and then in a dynamic mixer, to yield transparent films, free of striae and which are of optional optical quality. EP-A-0 253 288 describes an apparatus for mixing and conveying viscous fluids which is constructed as a single or multi stage axial centrifugal pump in which the mixing and conveying members are arranged such that an upper housing part with important parts of the device, after releasing screws, can easily be lifted off from the lower housing part. The mixing of the viscous fluids takes place in the pump itself and for a better vorticity of the mixture, the rotor blades of the guide wheels are provided in a conventional manner with at least one hole. A further advantage of the present invention is that a small amount of pigment, less than 10% by weight of the total weight of the material, is mixed in homogenously throughout the volume of sealant that is ejected from the nozzle. Hence, the complete process of mixing of pigment and sealant, which begins at one end of the nozzle and terminates at the other end, must be completed within the nozzle and before subsequent ejection from the nozzle into an adjacent cartridge, drum or bulk container. The present invention provides a dynamic mixing process which is designed to minimize clean-up, reduce wasted product and maximize the speed in changing from color to color. This is accomplished when the entire mixing process is performed within the nozzle assembly of the present invention. In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a nozzle mixer assembly for filling a container with a homogeneous mixture of viscous fluids as defined in claim 1. The present invention further provides a method of filling a container with a homogenous mixture of viscous fluids according to claim 13. Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a liquid injecting assembly made in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a longitudinal view of the nozzle assembly of the present invention; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along lines 4-4 of Figure 5; Figure 5 is a longitudinal view of the isolated drive shaft having the mounting pins mounted thereon; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along lines 6-6 of Figure 3; and Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along lines 7-7 of Figure 3. A nozzle mixer assembly for simultaneously mixing and injecting at least one highly viscous fluid into a second highly viscous fluid is generally shown at 10 in Figure 1. As schematically shown, the assembly includes a first fluid source 12 of the type for containing a highly viscous fluid, such as a sealant composition. Silicone sealants typically comprise a polydiorganosiloxane, a filler, a crosslinker and sometimes a curing catalyst. The silicone sealants are generally those which cure by exposure to moisture and are viscous materials which can be extruded from cartridges into cracks or crevices to be sealed. The consistency of the sealants is usually viscous and toothpaste-like. In applications such as building construction, sealants need to be thixotropic and non-sagging so that they remain in place until they cure. Because silicone sealants are used in building construction, aesthetics are very important which means that the color of the sealant is also very important. Therefore, silicone sealants of a variety of colors are required and matching the color for specific building materials is often desired. Silicone sealants are made by mixing the various ingredients in defined weight or volume ratios. For room temperature vulcanizable silicone sealants, the polydiorganosiloxanes are often endblocked with silanol or hydrolyzable groups. The polydiorganosiloxanes have viscosities most often greater than 1 Pa·s when measured at 25°C., such as from 1 to 100 Pa·s. When filler is added to the polydiorganosiloxane, optionally with plasticizers or filler treatments, the resulting mixture is often called a base material because it makes up the majority of the resulting sealant and because other ingredients are added to it to make the final sealant composition. The fillers can be divided into two major categories: (1) reinforcing fillers and (2) non-reinforcing or extending fillers. The first category includes silicas, carbon blacks and certain very finely divided calcium carbonates. The second category may contain calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, quartz, diatomaceous earth and alumina. To the base material, the crosslinkers and catalysts are added. The crosslinkers are conventionally silanes or partial hydrolysis products of the silanes. These silanes include acetoxysilanes, alkoxysilanes, ketoximosilanes, aminosilanes and amidosilanes. The crosslinking silanes can have three or four hydrolyzable groups per molecule and the partial hydrolysis products usually have more than three hydrolyzable groups per molecule. In addition to crosslinkers, the sealants may include chain-extenders which are silanes which have two hydrolyzable groups per molecule. The hydrolyzable group terminating the polydiorganosiloxanes can be the same as those of the silane crosslinkers, but mixtures of different kinds of hydrolyzable groups can also be present in the same sealant composition. Catalysts for curing the sealant compositions depend upon the kind of crosslinker and include metal carboxylates, alkyl ortho titanates, titanate chelates, zirconium alkoxides and chelates. The particular catalyst used with a particular crosslinker is well known in the silicone sealant art and further information can be found in that art. In addition to these ingredients, coloring agents can be added. These coloring agents (commonly called pigments) include the inorganic pigments which impart color to the sealant, organic compounds which impart color to the sealant and combinations of different coloring agents. For the present invention, the coloring agents need to be in a fluid state. To achieve the fluid state, a colorant or coloring agent may require a liquid carrier in which it is dispersed. Besides the above ingredients, sealants can include heat stability additives, flame retardant additives, fungicides, thixotroping agents and surface modifying agents. Although the nozzle assembly of this invention is designed to mix and deposit silicone sealants into a cartridge, other sealants which are made up of a mixture of ingredients and are made by a process which lends itself to mixing and immediate packaging into cartridges may find this nozzle assembly an advantage. Besides sealants, other kinds of materials that have relatively high viscosity and are made up of multiple ingredients may also find this nozzle assembly useful for manufacturing and packaging. For example, addition curable compositions which comprise an alkenyl functional polydiorganosiloxane, an organopolysiloxane having silicon-bonded hydrogen atoms and a platinum catalyst may be made using this nozzle assembly. For that type of composition, the platinum catalyst is separated or rendered inactive at room temperature to provide compositions which are storage stable in the package. The platinum can be rendered inactive by the use of an inhibitor or can be encapsulated, such as described in U S-A-4,766,176 and U S-A-5,017,654. A second fluid source is shown at 14. The assembly may include a single second fluid source 14 or may include a plurality of fluid sources which are supplied for being mixed with the fluid from the first fluid source 12. Pumping mechanisms schematically shown at 16 and 18 pump the fluids through conduits, schematically shown at 20, 22. The conduits 20, 22 convey the fluids from the first and second fluid sources 12, 14 or from a plurality of fluid sources, to a nozzle mixer assembly generally shown at 24. The nozzle assembly 24 is of the type for injecting a mixture of fluids into a standard sealant cartridge 26 as shown in Figure 1. Referring more specifically to Figures 2 and 3, the nozzle assembly 24 includes a housing generally shown at 28. The housing 28 includes an inlet end 30 having a recessed portion 32, as better shown in cross-section in Figure 3, for connection to a pigment injection adapter 34 which is discussed in more detail below. The adapter 34 can then be connected to the conduit 22 for receiving the first fluid or, in the case of a sealant mixture, the base sealant from the first fluid source 12. The housing 28 includes a second portion 36 which has a reduced outer diameter relative to the inlet end 30 which allows for the outer surface of the second portion 36 to receive a cartridge thereover. As material is ejected from end portion 38 of the housing 28, the cartridge 26 is filled while simultaneously being forced off of the second portion 36. As shown in Figure 3, the housing 28 includes an inner passageway 40 extending therethrough and defining a longitudinal axis, as shown by broken line 42. Generally, an axially rotatable drive shaft 44 is supported at one end by a prime mover drive shaft 45 and extends through the passageway 40 along the longitudinal axis 42. A folding mechanism which folds the fluids flowing through the passageway 40 while preventing columns of unmixed material from flowing axially along the housing 28, as well as drive shaft 44. That is, the assembly 24 includes a folding mechanism which continuously folds the volume of material being pumped therethrough with an additive, such as a pigment, along the length of the nozzle assembly 24, the folding causing an effective dispersion, as described below, resulting in an homogeneous mixture of the sealant ejected from the ejection end portion 38 of the housing 28 which is also homogeneous with the additional material being ejected therefrom. More specifically, the folding mechanism includes a plurality of stationary pin members 46 disposed along the passageway 40 and extending into the passageway 40 from the housing 28. As shown in the Figures, the stationary pins 46 can be in the form of bolt or smooth pin members which are mounted on and through the housing 28 along the length thereof or can be welded directly to the housing. The stationary pins 46 can include threaded portions 48 extending into the passageway 40 or they can include smooth portions (not shown). Although the orientation of the pins relative to each other can be adjusted, in the preferred embodiment the pins are spaced around the diameter of the housing 28 such that they are 90° apart. That is, when viewed in cross-section, there are four pins along any length of the housing 28, the pins being spaced about the circumference of the housing by 90°. The ends 50 of each pin 46 is proximate to but spaced from the drive shaft 44. The folding mechanism further includes moving pins 52, as shown in Figures 3-5. The moving pins 52 are disposed along the drive shaft 44 and extend into the passageway 40. The moving pins 52 are mounted on the drive shaft 44 at an attachment point in a plane generally tangential to the drive shaft 44. In this manner, the moving pins 52 produce a sweeping action as the drive shaft 44 rotates so as to not only fold the fluid materials passing through the passageway 40, but also cooperate with the stationary pins 46 to effectively fold the material in its entirety, breaking up any adhesion the material has to the drive shaft 44 while also preventing any unmixed columns of material from travelling along the drive shaft 44 through the passageway 40 during the mixing process. The combination of the stationary pins 46 with the moving pins 52 which are offset tangentially relative to the longitudinal axis 42 results in effective folding of the material. Effective folding is obtained to produce a homogeneous mixture ejected from the end 38 of the housing 28 without resulting in the elevated temperatures of a material produced by a mixing process with shearing. Hence, the present invention obtains an effective distributive folding process as opposed to a dispersive process resulting from a shearing action of the material. The drive shaft 44 defines a length along the longitudinal axis 42. In a preferred embodiment, the moving pins 52 are disposed along that length of the drive shaft 44 in a pairwise fashion, as shown in Figures 3 and 5. Each pin 52 has an adjacent pin 52 extending parallel therewith but also spaced axially therefrom. That is, each pair of the moving pins 52 include two substantially parallel moving pins 52 spaced from each other by the drive shaft 44, each pair of the moving pins 52 being substantially perpendicular relative to each adjacently disposed pair of moving pins 52 so as to appear in an H pattern, as shown in cross-section in Figure 4. The "H" includes two pins which are parallel and spaced apart by the shaft member 44 including an adjacent pair of pins which are rotated 90° relative thereto, the adjacent pair of pins also being spaced apart by the drive shaft 44. Additionally, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, each pair of pins 52 are axially spaced relative to each other along the length of the drive shaft 44. As best shown in Figure 3, there is a specific orientation of the stationary pins 46 relative to each pair of moving pins 52. The stationary pins 46 are disposed along the housing 28 between each of the pairs of moving pins 52. There is a pattern established of two parallel moving pins 52 followed by stationary pins 46 which are followed by a pair of moving pins 52 which are perpendicular relative to the adjacent pair of moving pins 52, followed by stationary pins followed by another pair of moving pins perpendicular to the aforementioned moving pins which are adjacent thereto and so on. This combination of pins having the aforementioned orientation, in combination with the moving pins 52 being tangential relative to the longitudinal axis 42 creates the folding action which provides the homogeneous mixture of base sealant and pigments ejected from the ejection end 38 of the housing 28. As best shown in Figure 5, wherein the drive shaft 44 and moving pins 52 are shown in isolation, the drive shaft 44 includes a plurality of recessed grooves 54 extending tangentially relative to the drive shaft 44 and being disposed along the length of the drive shaft 44. Each of the moving pins 52 includes a medial portion 56 mounted on one of the recessed grooves 54 thereby disposing each of the pins 52 tangentially relative to the drive shaft 44 and longitudinal axis 42. The pins 52 can be welded or otherwise mounted fixedly on the drive shaft 44 by means well known in the art. Referring to Figure 3, each of the moving pins 52 includes a pair of distal end portions 58 disposed adjacent to an inner surface 60 of the housing 28. The inner surface 60 of the housing 28 defines the passageway 40. Each of the distal end portions 58 of the moving pins 52 are convexly contoured to approximate a contour of the inner surface 60, thereby allowing for closer proximation of the distal end portions 58 to the inner surface 60. Alternatively, at least some of the moving pins 52 can include wipers 62, in the form of rubber tips or the like, as shown in Figure 5, for sweeping against the inner surface of the housing 28 to further ensure mixing of the volume of fluid flowing along the inner surface between the stationary pins 46. In this manner, just as the offset moving pins 52 ensure against columns of fluid flowing along the drive shaft 44 without being folded into the remainder of the fluid, the wipers 62 can help ensure that adhesion of the flowing fluid to the inner surface 60 of the housing 28 is disrupted. The drive shaft 44 includes one dowel pin end portion 64. Furthermore, the drive shaft 44 includes a threaded end portion 66 which attaches to the prime mover drive shaft 45. The housing 28 includes a nozzle end member 68 threadably connected to the second portion 36 and including the ejection end portion 38. The nozzle end member 68, as shown in Figure 6, includes an inner webbing 70 which supports a shaft support ring 72. The dowel pin end portion 64 is mounted within bearing 74 which allow rotating movement of the drive shaft 44 relative to the nozzle end member 68. The threaded end portion 66 is operatively connected to a drive motor of the type well known in the art for nozzles having drive shafts extending therethrough through the prime mover shaft 45. The nozzle assembly 24 further includes an additive injecting mechanism, as mentioned above, for injecting a band of at least one additive fluid into the base fluid flowing through the passageway 40 along a radius of the passageway relative to the longitudinal axis 42. The material injecting mechanism is in the form of a tube attachment 34 mounted between the conduit 22 and the inlet end 30 of the housing 28. The additive injecting mechanism 34 includes one or more hollow tube members 76 extending from the inner surface 60 of the housing 28 radially inwardly towards the longitudinal axis 42. Each of the hollow tube members 76 have a plugged end portion 78 and at least one opening 80 extending along a length thereof defining a fluid flow outlet for releasing a band-shaped outlet flow of fluid therefrom into the fluid flowing through the passageway 40 whereby a continuous band of fluid is added to an entire length of the fluid flowing through the passageway 40. The opening 80 may be in the form of a single slot or a plurality of smaller openings. In either case, the slots allow for the release of a metered amount of additive fluid, (such as pigment) to a base material, (such as the sealant base) continuously as the base material flows thereby. Thus, a specifically metered amount of pigment can be continuously released into the flowing volume of material thereby further contributing to the ability of the present invention to fold and thereby homogeneously mix the pigment additive to the sealant base. Because of the highly viscous nature of the sealant base and the fluid pigment additives, the outflow of fluid from the slotted tubes assists in the dispersion of the fluids together. This is a more effective means of adding the pigment than merely adding a bolus amount of pigment to a single area of the volume of the sealant base and then attempting to mix the two together. Moreover, the combination of the tube members 76 which inject bands of pigment fluid into the sealant base fluid achieve a homogeneous mixing when combined with the folding mechanism of the stationary pins 46 combined with the moving pins 52. The passageway 40 of the nozzle assembly 24 defines a predetermined volume equal to or an integer multiple of a predetermined volume of a container whereby a complete dose of fluid is mixed in an equal amount. That is, the volume contained between the end 32 of the housing 28 and the ejection end 38 of the nozzle end portion 68 is designed such that an integer multiple of a full dose is being mixed at all times. In operation, generally, a first fluid, such as a sealant base is pumped through the passageway 40 of the housing 28 having the axially rotatable drive shaft 44 supported by the housing 28 and extending through the passageway 40 along a length of the longitudinal axis 42 of the passageway 40. A second fluid is concurrently pumped into the passageway, the fluids being folded together as they flow through the passageway 40 while the pin configuration of the assembly prevents columns of unmixed material from flowing axially along the drive shaft 44 without being mixed. More specifically, as the base sealant is pumped as a volume through the housing 28, pigments of various colors, chosen to be combined with the base sealant to perfect a desired combined color, are continuously injected into the flow of base sealant through openings 80 in hollow tube members 76. As the flow of base sealant and pigment, the pigment already being in bands or streams within the continuous flow of the base sealant, pass through the nozzle assembly 24, they are folded by the moving pins 52 about the stationary pins 46. Due to the continuous folding of the base sealant and pigments as they flow along the length of the passageway 40, a homogeneous mixture of the base sealant and pigment are ejected from the ejection end portion 38. The aforementioned method and assembly provide solutions to the problems inherent in the prior art. Because injection of pigment and mixing are accomplished proximate to the ejection of the homogeneous mixture into a container, clean up of the assembly is limited to the nozzle assembly 24 per se thereby requiring much less waste of material for clean up purposes as compared with prior art assemblies. The assembly achieves adequate mixing of highly viscous fluids by a folding procedure, limiting shearing forces and thereby not elevating the temperature of the materials which would otherwise cause physical and chemical alterations to the materials. Finally, the assembly achieves "point of packaging" pigmentation which has long been desired for sealant production facilities and the like. Of course, the present invention can be utilized to mix other highly viscous fluids, especially where a small amount of additive must be homogeneous dispersed throughout a large amount of a base material, both materials being highly viscous fluids. The invention has been described in an illustrative manner and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims: A nozzle mixer assembly (24) for filling a container with a homogeneous mixture of viscous fluids comprising: a housing (28) including an inner passageway (40) extending therethrough defining a longitudinal axis (42) of said housing (28); an axially rotatable drive shaft (44) supported by said housing (28)and extending through said passageway (40) along said longitudinal axis (42); folding means for folding the fluids flowing through said passageway (40) while preventing columns of unmixed fluid from flowing axially along said drive shaft (44), characterised in that said folding means includes stationary pin members (46) disposed along said passageway (40) and extending into said passageway (40) from said housing (28) and moving pins (52) having a medial portion (56) attached to said drive shaft (44) and extending into said passageway (40), said moving pins (52) being mounted on said drive shaft (44) in a plane extending tangentially relative to said drive shaft (44) at a point of attachment, and in that it comprises at least one material injecting means (34) for injecting a band of at least one fluid into the fluid flowing through said passageway (40) along a radius of the passageway relative to said longitudinal axis (42). An assembly of claim 1 wherein said drive shaft (44) defines a length thereof along said longitudinal axis (42), said moving pins (52) being disposed along said length of said drive shaft (44) in a pairwise fashion, each pair of said moving pins (52) including two substantially parallel moving pins (52) spaced from each other by said drive shaft (44), each pair of said moving pins (52) being substantially perpendicular relative to each adjacently disposed pair of moving pins (52). An assembly of claim 1 and 2 wherein each of said pairs of moving pins (52) include moving pins (52) offset relative to each other along said length of said drive shaft (44). An assembly of claim 3 wherein said drive shaft (44) includes a plurality of recessed grooves (54) extending tangentially relative to said drive shaft (44) and being disposed along said length of drive shaft (44), each of said moving pins (52) including a medial portion (56) mounted on one of said recessed grooves (54). An assembly of claim 1 to 4 wherein said stationary pin members (46) are disposed along said housing (28) between each of said pairs of said moving pins (52). An assembly of claim 5 wherein each of said moving pins (52) includes a pair of distal end portions (58) disposed adjacent to an inner surface (60) of said housing (28), said inner surface (60) defining said passageway (40), each of said distal end portions (58) being convexly contoured to approximate a contour of said inner surface (60) thereby allowing for close proximations of said distal end portions (58) to said inner surface (60). An assembly of claim 6 wherein at least some of said moving pins (52) include wiper means (62) for sweeping against said inner surface of said housing (28). An assembly of any of claims 1 to 7 wherein said material injecting means (34) includes a hollow tube member (76) extending from said inner surface (60) radially inwardly towards said longitudinal axis (42), said tube member (76) having a plugged end portion (78) and at least one opening (80) along a length thereof defining a fluid flow outlet for releasing a band-shaped outlet flow of fluid therefrom into the fluid flowing through said passageway (40) whereby a continuous band of fluid is added to an entire length of the fluid flowing through said passageway (40). An assembly of claim 8 wherein said tube member (76) includes a plurality of openings (80) extending along a length thereof defining said fluid flow outlet thereby releasing a length of streams of fluid into the fluid flowing through said passageway (40). An assembly of any of claims 1 to 9 wherein said drive shaft (44) includes a dowel pin end portion (64) and said housing includes an ejection end portion (38) including drive shaft support means (72) for supporting said dowel pin end portion (64) while allowing for rotation of said drive shaft (44) relative to said housing (28). An assembly of any of claims 1 to 10 wherein said passageway (40) defines a predetermined volume equal to a predetermined container volume whereby a complete dose of fluid is mixed in an equal amount. A fluid injecting assembly (10) for simultaneously mixing and injecting at least one highly viscous fluid into a second highly viscous fluid, said assembly (10) comprising: a first fluid source (12); at least one second fluid source (14); nozzle mixer assembly (24) for injecting a mixture of said fluids into a container (26); conduit means (20, 22) for conveying fluids from said first and second fluid sources (12, 14) to said nozzle means; pumping means (16, 18) for pumping the fluids to said nozzle mixer assembly and out thereof, wherein said nozzle mixer assembly (24) is as defined in any of claims 1 to 11. A method of filling a container with a homogenous mixture of viscous fluids which includes the steps of: pumping a first and second fluid through a passageway (40) of a housing (28) having an axially rotatable drive shaft (44) supported by the housing (28) and extending through the passageway (40) along a length of a longitudinal axis (42) of the passageway (40); and folding the fluids flowing through the passageway (40) while preventing columns of unmixed material from flowing axially along the drive shaft (44) wherein said folding means includes stationary pin members (46) disposed along said passageway (40) and extending into said passageway (40) from said housing (28) and moving pins (52) disposed along said drive shaft (44) and extending into said passageway (40), said moving pins (52) including a medial portion (54) mounted on said drive shaft in a plane extending tangentially relative to said drive shaft, so that said first and second fluids are folded by moving pins (52) about the stationary pins (46) as said fluids flow along the length of passageway (40) to form an homogenous mixture, and wherein said method includes the step of injecting a band of at least one fluid into the fluid flowing through the passageway (40) along a radius of the passageway (40) relative to the longitudinal axis (42) of the passageway (40) from at least one material injecting means (34).

Inventors: CIMBALIK DAVID JAMES, KEMP DANIEL NEAL, MITIN TIMOTHY WALTER, SHIRK CHRISTOPHER CUMMINGS, CIMBALIK, DAVID JAMES, KEMP, DANIEL NEAL, MITIN, TIMOTHY WALTER, SHIRK, CHRISTOPHER CUMMINGS
Applicants: DOW CORNING, DOW CORNING CORPORATION
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B65B39
IPC codes: C09D7, B29B7, B05C11, B05C5, B01F7, B65B39